AI: 92% of Windows Machines in Large Organizations Not Ready, Push for Increased NIST Funding

[00:00:00] It's Tuesday, April 23, 2024, and I'm Dave Sulp.

[00:00:06] Four things to know today.

[00:00:07] As new models emerge, a new study reveals 92% of Windows machines and large organizations

[00:00:13] are not AI-ready.

[00:00:15] AI leaders and academics push for increased NIST funding to enhance AI safety oversight,

[00:00:21] produce eight introduced advanced work analytics to boost efficiency in MSP operations, and

[00:00:28] Google partners with the National Guard to enhance disaster response with AI.

[00:00:33] This is the Business of Tech.

[00:00:38] In today's digital work environment, the browser is the most widely used operating system,

[00:00:43] yet remains a significant security blind spot.

[00:00:46] Adacama has introduced the browser security platform, purpose-built for MSPs.

[00:00:51] Built in collaboration with other 40 MSPs, this solution focuses on managing and protecting

[00:00:56] today's window of work, the browser.

[00:00:59] Adacama's browser extension empowers MSPs to set data policies, gain critical insights,

[00:01:05] and optimize the user experience.

[00:01:07] Adacama recently announced the limited time 50 for 50 program, discounting the per-user

[00:01:13] price by 50% when you deploy the plugin to 50% or more of your client endpoints.

[00:01:19] Visit adacama.com slash MSP radio to learn more and see the platform in action.

[00:01:25] Visit atakama.com slash MSP radio to learn more.

[00:01:35] So there's some model movement to catch up on in AI.

[00:01:38] Meta has released the Lama 3 large language model which powers Meta AI and offers improved

[00:01:44] reasoning, co-generation, and diverse responses.

[00:01:48] Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, claims that Meta AI is now the most intelligent AI assistant

[00:01:53] available for free use.

[00:01:55] Meta plans to make Lama 3 multilingual and multimodal in the future.

[00:02:00] The AI assistant can assist with tasks like recommending restaurants and planning trips,

[00:02:05] and Meta's AI Imagine feature produces sharper images faster.

[00:02:11] Meta AI is available across various platforms and will soon be integrated into the Rayban

[00:02:16] Meta smart glasses.

[00:02:18] Amazon Web Services is enhancing its bedrock artificial intelligence service by allowing

[00:02:23] customers to import their own custom AI models alongside models from major providers.

[00:02:30] This move aims to appeal to AI application developers and compete with other cloud giants

[00:02:35] like Microsoft and Google.

[00:02:37] The new capability is available in preview and includes updates to Amazon's Titan Foundation

[00:02:43] models and the availability of third party models on bedrock.

[00:02:47] Additionally, Amazon is releasing its model evaluation capacity and guardrails feature.

[00:02:54] Microsoft has launched the FI3 Mini, its smallest AI model yet with 3.8 billion parameters.

[00:03:02] It's the first of three small models the company plans to release and it performs

[00:03:06] better than the previous version.

[00:03:09] Small AI models like FI3 are cheaper to run and perform well on personal devices.

[00:03:15] FI3 was trained with a curriculum inspired by how children learn from simpler books and

[00:03:20] sentence structures.

[00:03:22] Adobe has introduced new generative AI tools in Photoshop, powered by the Firefly Image

[00:03:27] 3 model.

[00:03:28] The reference image tool allows users to upload images that serve as a guide for the AI-generated

[00:03:33] output.

[00:03:34] Other tools include Generate Background, Enhanced Detail, Generate Similar, and Generate

[00:03:39] Image.

[00:03:40] Adobe claims that Firefly is safe for commercial use and offers higher quality image generation.

[00:03:47] And according to Absolute Security, the majority of organizations need to update or replace their

[00:03:52] systems to be AI-ready.

[00:03:55] A recent analysis found that 92% of Windows machines in organizations with 500 or more

[00:04:00] active devices running Windows 10 or 11 don't meet the basic requirements and

[00:04:06] will modern AI applications efficiently.

[00:04:09] Absolute Security warns that considerable investment in AI-capable endpoint fleets can divert resources

[00:04:15] from critical IT and security priorities, potentially leaving gaps in security and risk policies.

[00:04:22] Why do we care?

[00:04:24] Right tool for the right job continues to be the theme for AI models.

[00:04:28] They're distinctly not created equal.

[00:04:31] Let's dwell on that Absolute Security statement.

[00:04:34] Speaking of diversion from IT and security spend by a security provider has an interesting

[00:04:39] inverse.

[00:04:40] Perhaps organizations will get a higher return on that investment elsewhere and thus why

[00:04:45] they pick it.

[00:04:46] For security teams, you may need to make a better argument.

[00:04:53] I've covered the need for NIST funding just recently.

[00:04:55] Well, I'm not alone.

[00:04:57] From the Washington Post, leading AI companies, universities, and civil society groups are

[00:05:02] urging Congress to expand funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to support

[00:05:08] the growing work of its AI Safety Institute.

[00:05:12] The request for additional funding comes in response to years of funding challenges that

[00:05:16] have left NIST with limited resources and facilities, granting its ability to oversee

[00:05:21] advanced AI systems.

[00:05:23] The letters signed by over 80 organizations including Amazon, OpenAI, the ACLU, and

[00:05:29] MIT emphasizes the importance of NIST's role in maintaining America's technological

[00:05:35] leadership and calls for Congress to prioritize NIST's funding request $47.7 million.

[00:05:41] The recent hires and budget increase proposed in the White House's 2025 budget request

[00:05:46] are seen as positive steps, but the letters authors argue that more funding is needed

[00:05:51] to advance AI research and testing.

[00:05:54] And while I'm on funding, Women Who Code, a nonprofit organization supporting women

[00:05:59] in the tech industry, has announced its closure due to the loss of critical funding.

[00:06:04] The organization aimed to promote diversity and inclusivity and had a global network of

[00:06:10] over 360,000 members.

[00:06:13] Despite hosting numerous events and providing scholarships, Women Who Code will no longer

[00:06:18] be able to offer program services or hold future events.

[00:06:22] Why do we care?

[00:06:24] Funding is everything and without it organizations wither and die.

[00:06:28] That's a critical loss of Women Who Code.

[00:06:31] So if you believe in the mission of NIST here, urge for funding.

[00:06:35] For stakeholders and advocates in the tech community, these developments are a wake-up

[00:06:38] call and a call to action to support funding initiatives that both empower regulatory

[00:06:44] bodies and diversity promoting organizations.

[00:06:47] It's a reminder that advocacy, public support, and strategic funding are crucial

[00:06:52] for sustaining the ecosystems that define technology.

[00:06:56] For those who believe in these causes, engaging with policymakers, contributing to discussions,

[00:07:01] and supporting funding initiatives are tangible ways to make a difference, ensuring that

[00:07:05] these institutions and organizations can continue their valuable work.

[00:07:12] Produce8, a work analytics vendor, has announced a significant platform advancement designed

[00:07:17] to boost productivity and manage services providers.

[00:07:21] The new release includes features such as capturing employee sentiment, integrating

[00:07:25] video call data and measuring the financial impact of time spent in meetings.

[00:07:30] The goal is to empower employees to understand their workday better and increase efficiency.

[00:07:36] Fax8 has announced workforce reductions letting go of 5% of its workforce primarily in North

[00:07:42] America.

[00:07:43] The decision was influenced by economic factors such as industry contraction, slowed spending,

[00:07:48] and leadership missteps.

[00:07:50] Fax8 had previously achieved financial milestones including hitting a billion dollars annual

[00:07:55] recurring revenue run rate and raising $185 million in funding.

[00:08:00] Other tech companies like Connectwise and Kaseya have recently announced layoffs too.

[00:08:05] Why do we care?

[00:08:07] Your role as a leader is to deploy resources correctly, which includes the decisions to

[00:08:11] hire.

[00:08:12] Ultimately it's leadership's failure when there are layoffs.

[00:08:15] I'm not saying it's not required and often it's required to keep the business afloat

[00:08:20] but let's acknowledge that the reason starts at the top.

[00:08:24] Anything that layoffs, while sometimes necessary, or a failure of resource deployment is crucial

[00:08:29] for honest leadership.

[00:08:34] Google is partnering with the National Guard to provide artificial intelligence tools that

[00:08:39] can analyze images of disaster areas, helping them respond faster and more effectively.

[00:08:45] The technology developed by Bellweather, a group within Google's innovation lab,

[00:08:49] can identify locations, roads, buildings and infrastructure by comparing aerial photos

[00:08:54] with satellite imagery and maps.

[00:08:57] The collaboration highlights the increasing involvement of Silicon Valley in working with

[00:09:01] the Defense Department, with more tech companies building specific technologies for the military.

[00:09:07] Google, despite its complicated history with the US military, has returned to military

[00:09:11] work and will be providing AI for disaster response, not military action.

[00:09:17] Why do we care?

[00:09:19] Today it's about use case, data analysis for the win.

[00:09:23] After facing internal and external backlash for its involvement in Project Maven, a Pentagon

[00:09:29] project using AI to improve drone targeting, Google had stepped back from direct military

[00:09:35] contracts leading to the establishment of clear guidelines that govern its project

[00:09:39] with the military, focusing on non-offensive purposes.

[00:09:43] This strategic decision to provide AI tools for disaster relief can be seen as part of

[00:09:48] Google's efforts to rehabilitate and reshape its relationship with the military, focusing

[00:09:53] on humanitarian and rescue operations.

[00:09:58] Today's episode is supported by CoreView.

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[00:10:40] Want to know more?

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[00:11:06] The business of tech is written and produced by me, Dave Sobel, under Ethics Guidelines,

[00:11:20] posted at BusinessOf.Tech.

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[00:11:52] Once again, thanks for listening to me and I will talk to you again on our next episode

[00:11:58] of The Business of Tech.

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